Second Part - Paintings

Eloise Lane

(Of the two paintings that hang on the north wait of the reception room of the museum, the painting on the viewer's right, shows a brief history of the White Deer Lands and the early days of Pampa. After the British stockholders foreclosed on the Franklyn Land and Cattle Company, They created a trust for holding the legal title and liquidating the property. Taking its name from White Deer Creek, the White Deer Lands consisted of 631,000 acres in Hutchinson, Carson, Gray, and Roberts counties. (The four managers of the White Deer Land Company are shown L- R) George, Tyng, manager from 1886-1903, sold the Franklyn cattle; drilled the first successful water well; constructed a demonstration farm house; persuaded the bondholders to start a town at the railroad station known first as Glasgow, then as Sutton; suggested PAMPA to the railroad as a new name for Sutton and applied for a post office at Pampa which was established on October 29, 1892. Timothy Dwight Hobart, who came from Vermont to Mobeetie in 1886, was the manager from 1903 to 1924 when he resigned to become manager of the JA Ranch. His policy of selling land only to actual settlers and requiring the owners to improve their property resulted in the building of a prosperous farming community. Cecil P. Buckler, who came from England in 1905, was a co- manager from 1924 until 1935. He was the sale agent for the White Deer Land Company from 1935 until 1957 when the ceased operations. Montague Kingsmill Brown, who came from England in 1903, was co-manager with Buckler from 1924 until 1935. When the company ceased operation, Brown made the highest bid for the remaining property which included the company's third office building in Pampa. (now the original part of the museum). Over the heads of the managers three small buildings are shown; a small house for displaying products of the area to passengers on the train; the White Deer Land Company's third office building in Pampa and the first company house/office in Pampa (318 W. Foster). Some scenes of early Pampa are shown below the managers; Pampa's first depot (replacing the boxcar) constructed west of Cuyler in 1905-it burned in 1914; the brick building of the First National Bank (photo in 1909 was in horse & buggy days); a street scene when Model-I Fords were prominent; the fire truck sent to Lefors to obtain county records after the election of 1 928 which made Pampa the county seat and the worst of the black dusters which occurred on Palm Sunday, April 14, 1935. On the bottom row of the painting, the oil well represents Gray County's first oil well- the F. Wilcox No. 1, Worley-Reynolds, which was completed on January 31, 1 925; a truck similar to those used in the late I 920s and the Celanese plant which began production in the fall of 1952. When Marcum Motor Company closed, the two paintings, "History of Gray County", were donated to the White Deer Land Museum by C.E. and Caroline Marcum and J.E. and Becky Marcum.